Now that I have my big picture outline and a clear idea of my theme I like to begin refining my main character. The development of the main character is something that happens right from the beginning and in a sense the big picture outline is a kind of character bio because it shows the main character's actions over a long period of time unless your film is heavily plot driven. Often as I'm working out the theme and the outline, I'm jumping back and forth between that and different main characters and how they effect the story. Eventually there are three main things I try to define about my main character. 1) Their flaw, 2) Their want and 3) Their need.
The main character's flaw is their blind spot. It's the one place where they consistently get things wrong. In the matrix, Neo's flaw is that he doesn't believe he's the one. In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo's flaw is at he thinks he must carry the ring to Mordor alone. The important thing to note about the flaw is that in both these cases, overcoming the flaw is the only way the hero will find victory. Neo must come to the place where he believes in who he really is. Frodo must accept Sam's help and companionship if he is to succeed at destroying the ring. The flaw also needs to be near impossible for the hero to overcome. The greater the odds set against the hero the better. The other thing to know about the flaw is that it it should be opposite to your theme. For example if your theme is: “persistence can overcome any obstacle” then your hero's flaw should probably be a serious lack of persistence. With your theme and your hero's flaw working against each other like this you've already set yourself up for an interesting script.
The next two things are the want and the need. This comes from Allen Palmer's awesome blog crackingyarns.com.au. Often, for the first half of a film, a character pursues what they want. At the midpoint of the film this begins to change and the hero abandons what they want and begins to pursue what they actually need. You can see this play out in short films as well as full length features. Abandoning want for need is an important part of a hero's transformation and helps lead them toward confronting their flaw.
Hope you found this helpful. If you did, please consider sharing it with someone else with the social buttons bellow. Thanks!
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 1
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 2
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 3
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 4
MY PROCESS FOR SCREENWRITING: PART 5